Farmers with exceptionally heavy loads on their off-road/on-road trucks might consider Link’s new 85K Air Link Tandem Drive Chassis Suspension, which the company claims is North America’s highest-capacity air-spring suspension system.
The 85K was first developed for the U.S. military and was released to the commercial and agricultural sectors at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020 in Las Vegas last month. The 85K features Link’s well-known air-over-walking-beam design.
Link says operating on challenging off-road terrain has become safer and more controlled because of the system’s ability to equally distribute weight between the tires, its high roll stability and its tractive superiority. Like all Air Link suspensions, the 85K is 100 percent off-highway rated and designed to survive in punishing environments.
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“(The system is) compatible with most common drive axles including Dana, Meritor, Mack and others. The suspension comes with a variety of axle connections including bar pin, through-pin, and alignment bushings,” according to the Link website.
Neil Mardell, Link’s manager of defence programs and heavy vocational product, said the Air Link system has triple the roll stability of other vocational air-ride suspensions, which means it rides four times smoother than a conventional spring pack and 10 times smoother than a rubber block suspension.
“Air Link also offers the advantages of a combined air spring and walking beam without the downsides of primitive steel or rubber walking beam suspensions,” he said.
“It’s vastly superior to heavy-duty leaf spring, rubber block walking beam, two-spring six-rod and trailing arm suspensions.
“The 85K is designed with large, high-volume, low-frequency air springs that enable occupants to experience a consistently smooth and comfortable ride whether their vehicle is under load or empty. Dual height-control valves ensure that proper ride height and vehicle leveling are maintained, thus maximizing roll stability regardless of the weight and balance of a vehicle’s cargo.”
Once Air Link’s wheel alignment is set, no further adjustments are required. Because of its air-over-walking-beam design, the system continues functioning even if a leak were to occur in one air spring.
All Air Link suspensions are treated with the company’s exclusive Link-KOAT migratory self-healing metal treatment. This provides corrosion resistance and rust protection, even when surfaces are exposed to excessive abrasion, harsh chemicals and other severe-duty environmental factors. The 85K Air Link Tandem Drive Chassis Suspension includes an extended three-year warranty.
Link’s revolutionary air-over-walking-beam technology was patented 30 years ago and was originally designed to cope with extreme payloads and the rigors of harsh off-highway defence applications.
Price has not been announced yet.
